In an infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode, a wireless local area network (WLAN) includes an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AR The AP may have access or an interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired/wireless network that carries traffic in and out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP, which may deliver it to the appropriate STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to the respective destinations.
STAs in a BSS may communicate with one another via peer-to-peer communication. In one type of peer-to-peer communication, a source STA may send traffic to the AP, which may deliver it to a destination STA. In another type of peer-to-peer communication, a source STA may send traffic directly to a destination STA without involving the AP via a direct link setup (DLS) using an institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11e DLS or an IEEE 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN in an independent BSS mode has no AP, and, accordingly, STAs may communicate directly with each other.